The Merchant's Daughter
by lunatica00
Summary: In a faraway land, marked all across with death and abandonment, a sudden disappearance drags Yang into an eerie quest. So when two realities clash and downfall's is on the horizon, whose truth will they have to live with? Well, just you remember, Yang... not every verity leads you to the happy ending you've always been hoping for.
1. Those who walk away

_**A/N: This work is a tribute to narcosleepy on Ao3, *very* (very, very, very, soooo very) loosely based on their story. If you haven't checked out their work yet, be sure to do it ASAP. It's soooo good T_T**_

 _ **And also to my mom, actually! HAHA if you choose to stick till the end, then one day, in the distant future, you'll understand why.**_

* * *

"Yes." She said, suppressing the enormous desire she felt right then to sigh loudly, a destiny the most, she was sure, insufferable eye roll in all History wasn't so fortunate to follow.

The figure purposely walking in front of her stopped as if they knew exactly what had just transpired, that her eyes had gotten stuck in the back of her head.

"C'mon, Yang. Give your father a break, will ya?"

… _Maybe_ her tone wasn't as concealing of its aggravation as she thought it was. Great, here they go.

He turned around, cocking his hips to one side and its respective hand resting there, a pose she knew intimately. Of course she would know. After all, she could mirror it _quite_ well herself.

But apparently her crossed arms and raised eyebrow wasn't enough to keep him from going on. "I'll be gone for… what? How many weeks? Your old man gotta be sure everything's where it should be before leaving, don't you agree? As soon as we finish here I'll be on my way and you'll be free, believe me." And then he _tried_ to proceed recounting every little thing he thought was already done or still needed to be in order for him to leave.

 _Tried_ being the key word.

 _Thrice_ now! Oh no, it's not happening, not even over her dead body.

An indignant sound made its way out of her before she even knew, cutting him short with a raised palm. Let it be said, this was _really_ frustrating! Does _every_ father figure have the same urge to patronize their daughters and sons?

"Look, dad, I get it, ok? I really do. But we've been over this twice already _and_ I'm much more familiar with this than you are. I'm an adult now, remember? You go do your thing and I'll take care of all this stuff until you're back, don't worry."

A sigh left his lips and not a second later a tanned hand was running through his pale, subdued blond hair. Then he spoke again — this time sounding really upset, without a tinge of his previous condescending inflection on his usually upbeat voice. "I just wished it wouldn't take that long." He morosely conceded, the dejected expression contorting his face.

"I know." She could feel her semblant softening and her arms dislodging themselves from the firm grasp they had been subjected to just a few seconds before. "Me too." Not really in place to blame him, she offered the small consolation as a peace flag. So, trying to convey just how much she understood what he had to do and that she supported him, she continued, "But we gotta do what we gotta do, right?"

"Yeah, yeah." And although his humor still seemed dulled, a glint suddenly appeared in his cobalt eyes. "But I'm still missing my girls to bits, you know that, right?"

"You'd better bet on that, you old man!" Yang smiled, jabbing her father on his shoulder.

"Whoa! Somehow you still keep getting stronger." Said dad, nursing his shoulder as if it would be enough to chase the sensation away. "Do you realize that with more training, maybe of one these days you'll —"

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!"

They were standing perpendicular to the front door of their two-story log cabin, but as soon as the man heard that sharp voice, he instantly made a ninety degree turn in order to face its owner as fast as possible. He only had time to hurriedly open his arms before the wind was knocked out of him.

"Dad! I can't believe you're going again so soon, you _just_ got back! How long will it be until you come home again? Please, don't let it be too long, we miss you already!" Was her little sister's pleas, all voiced in a long lone breath.

"Hey! Hey, now. Calm down, little rose." Everyone who knew Ruby knew how excited she could be (all the time), so it wasn't surprising _at all_ when dad enveloped her in a tight hug, before he began to sooth her with soothing motions on her back and light pats on her dark brunette tresses. "I'll be back before you know it."

She couldn't see what expression her sis' was making, but with what came next, she could only imagine the great pout coming their dad's way. "B-b-but dad!"

Right then a bunch of birds flown away in the distance, their choral chirping being carried all the way over to their ears, making dad take notice of them. Only now the sun dared to show its face.

The wild life made its presence known all around them — from the resounding harmony of frogs and ducks next to the cristaline lake a few feet away from their house to the cute songs sung by all the different idle birds nearby. She found herself appreciating more this new relaxing ambiance, which now surrounded them, each day.

Dad's harsh exhale of air was the next thing her ears were capable to discern, trapping her attention in the conversation once more.

"I'm sorry, girls, but I'm afraid it's time to go." And if they had been able to pick up the birds' cheeps from a distance, imagine who wouldn't hear Ruby's shrill whines all the way down the village. "No, no, don't be like that. Yang, c'me here, you too!" He requested, gesturing for her to come closer. She approached him in a much more composed manner than her little sis', but as soon as she was in arms' range, she was promptly smashed against his solid, hard build, a surprised sound moving her lips. Her long, unruly vibrant golden hair mixing strangely with the auburn tips in Ruby's.

His head rested on the top of hers, chin lifted just a tad bit in this position ever since the last inches she got a couple of months ago, back in the winter. "You both know how much I love you, don't you?"

She chuckled, but Rubes only embraced dad tighter and said _we love you too_ at the same time she replied with a _yeah_. However, the _emotional_ moment didn't last long, as they all heard a throat being cleaned and a raspy, baritone voice breaking their ever brief love-sharing time (words weren't needed when actions spoke louder. At least that was how they chose to go about it).

"What a lovely scene I find before my eyes." And when she disentangled herself from her father's embrace, the first thing she noticed was her uncle leaning perpendicularly against the door frame — both his arms and legs crossed.

Much like dad, suspended dust was his only warning before being engulfed in a vice-like hug. "Uncle Qrow! You're awake! Come now, dad's leaving already! Ask him to stay a little more, please!" Then she grabbed his hand, dragging him towards them with as much force as her thin arms could manage.

If not for his sorrowful face — which she couldn't quite picture in her sister's features —, one would doubt Ruby's lineage, assuming the man in her arms was her actual father instead of the one standing beside her sister. It was actually fair to presume that, she admitted sometimes, given uncle Qrow's almost feather-like, spiky raven bangs and his lean figure compared to dad's (much like Rubes' compared to hers). Well, over the years many people jumped to that conclusion, at least, so it's not like it's _her_ thoughts only.

"You know I can't do that, kiddo. He has to do that or else you won't be able to keep living here, and…" both men locked eyes at that moment, her uncle's quick to lower towards the ground, uneasy.

Before she could do anything to salvage the conversation though, dad beat her to it.

"You listened to your uncle, girls." Dad briefly hugged her again, before turning on his heels and walking to his brown steed, Signal. There was a silent exchange between dad and uncle Qrow as though both were communicating through their scrutiny; then dad mounted his stallion, seemingly having come to a silent, mutual accord.

"Thank you, Tai." Uncle Qrow softly uttered at last — humble in a way she's never seen him before —, low enough that one not looking for it would have missed his acknowledgement entirely.

"It's nothing." Dad look like he was proud, for some reason unknown to her, yet resorted to shrugging in the end nonetheless. "Just don't go giving the girls any trouble, hear me, you jerk?" And any bite that could be detected in his sentence was washed away by the kind smile dancing on his face. Dad started messing with his soul patch and descended to the small stubble along his jawline, scratching there a bit — she recognized the gesture as the one he frequently used when mulling over a situation or when he was about to make a decision. "And maybe I'll miss you too, you old, dusty crow."

After the playful, dramatic pause her dad just performed, uncle Qrow scoffed, as if unable to believe his ears. "Don't you have better things to do, like making yourself a future, or something?"

Amused, dad shook his head. Seizing the opportunity, she chose that exact moment to intervene (Gods and experience know they would restart their banter all over again if they could), slowly walking to his side and immediately looking up when she got there.

"I _know_ you know the drill, but be careful, dad. I don't want a repeat from _that_ day, promise me." She murmured thickly, begging him as she always did nowadays before he inevitably left time and again.

"I know, I know. I promise I'll take care, but only if you do the same. You and your sister are the most important things in the world to me, my sunny little dragon. Please, don't let anything happen while I'm away, ok?" His urgent, if not forlorn and vain, request _almost_ fell on deaf ears.

Now it was _her_ time to scoff.

" _Sure_." She retorted as drily as she imagined Vacuo's deserts to be, or at least that was the intent. "When was the last time I did anyway?" She couldn't help the verbal jab that made its way out of her mouth _even before_ she could realize she had the desire to say so.

"That's fair." Dad sighed. He appeared to want to say or maybe do something else, but in the end her expectancy equated to nothing. "You got me there." He finished lamely a few seconds later.

She chuckled, no longer fazed by his lost demeanor around her. Giving him mercy, she decided to pled her small farewell; in an even smaller voice, she did just that. "Bye, dad."

"See you later, Yang." As always, the stubborn old man refused to depart with heavy goodbyes, if one at all.

Then she quickly jogged to her sister's side, who was dangling from uncle Qrow's arm while he waved goodbye to dad, her shouts of _byyyyyyeeeeeee, daaaaaaaaaaad!_ coming second to no other prominent sound in the woods, where their cottage was located.

She would miss dad, that's for sure. They may still have issues to work through with each other, but they were slowly, each passing day, getting better. And they knew how much one loved the other, that's that what matters in the end — that they're here, a family united for sure once again.

Her smile only dropped when uncle Qrow gently withdrawn Rubes from him and turned to her. "You two mind if I go for a walk? Not really in the mood to talk right now..." He said with averting eyes, looking anywhere but at them. In the distance, her father parting figure only getting smaller.

Gods bless her little sis' innocence. One day she would still sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk with her, but until then she ought to appreciate her never ending patience with uncle Qrow. "Awwww, you're missing my cookies again." And when she saw her earnest, hopeful persistence was powerless against a man controlled by his habits, she ended with a disappointed, "Ok… just make sure you're here by lunch. You don't wanna miss Yang's superb cooking!"

"You bet I won't, Ruby. Promise." His response may have been enough to assuage her sister's worries, but not her. _Never_ her. After all, she _was_ his niece, and perhaps being cynical _did_ run in the blood.

When he chanced a glance at his older niece only to sense there was nothing more he was going to get from her than her narrowed, suspicious eyes, he tried, "Look, firecracker, don't wor —"

"I won't. You know very well what you're doing." Any other day she would have treated him with just that tad bit more candidness on her part, but not today; for it was a day of the flickering of an ever-burning flame, a day for recognizing life's imperative nuisances. "I trust you to get here _just fine_." And with that she was done. There was nothing more she needed to say to him, the warning clear in her tone and the disapproval evident in her eyes.

"Yang?" Ruby, puzzled, eyed her, as if coming to the same realization she just had about today not being one of her best days.

However, before she had to evade the confused inquire she herself didn't possess the answers to, their uncle sighed, his hands hiding into his pants pockets. "Yeah... Well, see you two later, then."

None of them was able to put in another cent on the matter though; not that she would, either way. Qrow turned around and walked away, leaving just the two of them alone.

She sighed — now it was only her and her sister. _Again_. Insecurity crawled her entire body and made residence in the back of her mind. The village's situation wasn't looking that great and there were rumors about a pack of older Beowolves lurking around the outskirts, but hopefully things would run smoothly like the last bazillion times they were alone together.

With her sister's baking goods in mind, she started:

"Rubes, why don't you —" Was what she, already gruelingly so early in the morning, managed to get out before suddenly being cut off.

She was, too, engulfed in her little sister's own version of the Xiao Long bear hug, Ruby's soft hands firmly grabbing a hold of her off-white, long sleeved shirt's linen tissue. "Yang! I'm sorry I acted so childish with that whole dad-going-away thing and all." Rubes deflated a little bit more then. "I just… I just wish things weren't like this, you know?"

 _Yes_. She _did_ know, in fact. That's why the next second found her lovingly cradling Ruby in her arms, nuzzing the top of her head where it touched her cheeks with all the affection she could muster. "It's ok, sis'. Me neither, but that's how things are going to be for a while." She huffed, but hurriedly added a, "We'll just have to get used to it, I guess." Subtly offering her steadfast companionship.

 _But more like deal with it_ , she didn't say.

She wondered sometimes if her sister actually knew how much she meant to her. She wanted Rubes to _know_ it to be the irrefutable truth it was — to be _absolutely_ sure and never, ever doubt — that she could _always_ count on her. If she had any say in it (and she did, _a lot_ ), her little sis' would never have to worry too much about anything.

"It's not that I don't like spending time with you" Ruby hastily said. "I just miss my friends _and_ having dad for longer than a week's time." Sensing the wistful and apologetic tone in her sister's voice, she readily asserted —

"Shhh, I understand. You don't have to apologize for anything. I got you, ok?"

Rubes took a step back then, but only far enough to look her in the eye; the most gorgeous gleam in her bright silver eyes and beaming from ear to ear with such warmth that every concern still weighting her heart crumbled right there and then. _This_ is worth everything.

"Yeah." Somehow, her eyes only got softer. She could only imagine what might be going on in that head of hers. "I know."

Then the moment was gone, it seemed; her little sis' removed herself from the embrace and turned around, skipping her way to the front door, her mid-thigh black skirt swaying from side to side. "Come on, then. Let's bake some cookies!" And with that, her cheerfulness and joy was fully back.

The smile on her own face returned full force. She only spared the forest behind her one look; the trail dad had taken, which lead to somewhere far, far away from home, seeming the tiniest bit bleak now; likely the product of her apprehensive unconscious, she decided.

But even if the path gave off the impression of being a little lugubrious, it was still a sight to behold — the tall trees with their lively green foliage, the bucolic flowers scattered around... It all reminded her of a poem she had read not too long ago; the last four verses forever engraved in her memory:

 _The woods are lovely, dark and deep,_

 _but I have promises to keep_

 _and miles to go before I sleep,_

 _and miles to go before I sleep._

And as she soundlessly wished dad good luck and pled farewell one last time before following her sister inside, a raven took off from one of the branches nearby.

* * *

 _ **A/N: The poem is Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening, by Robert Frost**_

 _ **Sorry if there are any mistakes. English isn't my native language, but I'm trying my best for you guys :D**_


	2. Can only become memories astray

" _Lost in me, I need a break,_

 _Lost in wonder, which road to take?_

 _Lost in a place I don't know well,_

 _Where_ are _you now? There's_ no one _to tell._ "

* * *

The first few days after dad's departure were always the worst. Maybe because when he was indeed back from work — usually for a couple of weeks at a time —, there was always this… weight being lifted off her shoulders. Not ever entirely, due to this silent, everlasting general acknowledgement that she was inevitably there to take action if any was needed, but enough to not feel so heavy all the time with her responsibilities, like she somewhat had someone to share them with.

Not to say that she considered responsibilities such as taking care of Ruby a drag or that she resented it, but it _was_ — unquestionably — a lot of commitment nonetheless. The thought that a wrong course of action on her part could shape Ruby's entire personality, or at least, great part of it, had been a relentlessly frightening and sometimes even petrifying thought since the first few seasons after mom's death.

But she didn't exactly have to worry about that right now. No, right now she only had to worry about Bumb and her, and the soothing moves her brush made against the buckskin coat of her mare. It was, in fact, on days like this one in which she thought that, just maybe, this was as relaxing to her as it was to the horse.

She had Bumb's face hugged to her chest while she petted her. Who would have thought that several years ago she would be finding her best friend (she secretly hoped Pyrrha would never be able to conquer the power of reading minds, _too_ — was her teasing thought) almost dying by the paws of those awful monsters in a clearing? If she hadn't gotten there in time…

She shuddered. That train of thought always left her with a sour taste in her mouth, the what ifs consuming her mind. But her girl was here _and_ fine, she reminded herself.

In fact, the truth that almost never was, was: if uncle Qrow _also_ hadn't gotten there in time, perhaps she would have died at those beastly paws as well.

On that day, she had put Ruby in a little wagon and wandered off on her own after dad left. She had been a girl on a mission, thinking of herself as infallible in all her child's glorious ignorance, when she caught sight of those burning red eyes. She ditched the wagon, got Ruby and ran like their life depended on it (and it really, _really_ did) towards a cleaning, where she guessed was where at least a few horses were located since she had heard one squealing quite loudly from a distance, her own sister's cries agonizingly loud in her ears by then. She found the foal there, rearing and stomping excessively on the ground, its tail flipping wildly. It didn't take long for her to notice an Ursa already there, a mare on the ground with one of its forelegs missing. And that would have been her fate, too, if it wasn't for the foal distracting the Grimm long enough for the aid to come to both of their rescue.

Even years later from then, she would never quite be able to forgive herself for that strenuous experience she had subjected her little sister to.

But at that time, as luck would have it, uncle Qrow showed up just in time to slay the rapidly growing pack of Beowolves with his intimidating scythe, quickly moving next to mediate the other situation — a girl helpless against a simple Ursa Minor. When all was done, however, she couldn't bring herself to leave the foal to its own devices, her heart burning with sympathy for the young horse, that couldn't possibly be even months old.

(Imagine the earned earful she got when she arrived home that day. It was only fair — her stubbornness should've gotten them killed that day.)

After all that though, she had opted to call her new mare Bumblebee, simply because it seemed appropriate, given her dark as night mane _and_ tail, with black socks on its feet, and pale gold coat with no primitive markings whatsoever. Now she was seventeen and her full-grown mare had been the best, loyal friend she could ever ask for ( _sorry, Pyrrha_ ), for at least seven summers since the moment they got together, with more than a handful of cool, wild stories to tell.

But, honestly, because she found it hilarious calling a horse _Bumblebee_.

When she came back from her reveries again, though, it was because of Bumb's snorting, which tickled, making her chuckle. She shook her head.

"Hey, girl, sorry I've been spacing out." Sheepishly, she rubbed the back of her head. "I uh… I'm not feeling too great today."

Bumb nudged her with her antes and blowed. Rolling her eyes, she fondly conceded, " _Fine_. It's just that I've got this feeling, like a… a… foreboding, yeah, that's the word."

She went to Bumb's side to keep brushing along her torso and her girl neighed, bringing a chuckle out of her again. Bumb always did great wonders to her humor. "No, it's _not_ because uncle Qrow's staying with us." But her own lightheaded demeanor dropped as if it had been an act all along. "I can't put my finger on it." There was a pause there, in which she contemplated the overall scenario. "It's strange, different from the other times."

Distancing herself a bit, she looked through the barn's windows. The dark clouds in the sky told her everything she needed to know about where she would be spending her afternoon today.

She eyed the stall behind Bumb sadly. "Sorry, girl. You'll have to go inside today, but I'll promise that, as soon as the rain is gone, I'll free you and you can go wherever you want. Deal?"

Bumb's only response was her impatient stomping on the ground and the soft whine that followed next. Poor girl.

She was just going to assert her word on the matter when her mare's head lowered gently and tilted her head, her cute little ears twitching on the top; Bumb neighed once more and only then willingly went back to her stall. She had the best girl ever.

The wind howled as it zipped through the barn then, leaving her poorly-protected-against-the-cold body shivering. One window in particular started a rhythm, closing — opening again, each time matching more and more the beat of her own heart. Its hinge made a whirring noise every time it opened, and she thought she had also heard a flap of wings somewhere. Then, the sound of something crashing onto the ground made her heart beat fiercely on her ears.

 _Thump-thump-thump_.

 _Thump-thump_ , _thump-thump_.

She wildly looked around. Who did this? She was alone. Maybe it was the wind? This time from inside the stall, Bumb neighed.

She was just about to go see what that was all about when Rubes, with Zwei (their corgi) in tall, showed up in the small building designed only to accommodate the family's horses: Signal, dad's stallion; Bumblebee, her own mare; Ruby's Strawberry; and Stark, which was uncle Qrow's. Admittedly, Stark's stall was more often empty than not.

Bumb and Zwei had never gotten along too well… so _that's_ why the little bastard went back to her stall, huh? Didn't want Zwei pestering her like he always did. She looked into Bumb's eyes and laughed. _Oh, that girl…_

"Yaaaang!"

"Oh, hey, sis'!" Was her somewhat surprised and grateful salute. Well, she thought _she_ was the one excited about seeing her sister so early in the morning, but when she took in Rubes' demeanor she promptly disqualified her auto-assessment. "So, you seem awfully chipper this morning!"

"Yep! Uncle Qrow's gonna teach me some new moves today! Now that I'm not complete _garbage_ , maybe he'll let me tag along on his next...", and _there_ she went on a rampage with no signs of stopping whatsoever. After a few tries of intervening in vain, she tried again, more firmly this time.

"Wait, what? Wait, Ruby, hold on a sec' —"

"— Then I'll be all like _Hooowaaah! Witchaaaa!_ " She even proceeded to make some poses and noises of _some kind_ of fighting style? She shrugged. Maybe that actually existed somewhere, who knows?

And off she went once more with her rambling about being taken under Qrow's wings and how cool, exciting and romantic her future was shaping up to be.

She waited until the first sign of an intake of breath, then put her hand on her sister's shoulders, making Ruby, who was momentarily confused about the sudden interruption on her train of thoughts, direct her gaze towards her.

"Rubes, slow down a bit." She stood straight again and cocked one hip, its side's hand on them. "You know you have my support. Do go and follow your dreams, yeah, I'm all for that. But c'mon, you _know_ it's not _that_ —"

"— Easy." The two of them ended together. "Yeah, I know. But Yang! Don't you see?

A sigh escaped her own lips. They had been over this already countless times in the past couple of months. Ruby would come to her, tell her she was spending the day away with Qrow and coming back only at night to sleep, intending to do the same every other day. And every time, _every_ damn time, she would have to patch her sister up, watch her become all the tiniest bit more absorbed in that romanticized view she had of her dream, just like mom did — until one day mom just didn't come back.

"As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books you read to me every night before bed, you know this!" Ruby showed her palms, like pleading for her to see what she herself saw. "Because our parents always taught us to help others! Even from that young age, I always knew that's what I wanted to do, help people."

Ruby stopped, considering what to say next, as if she could sense she had her undivided attention; like today was going to be _the day_ she was officially making her sister understand once and for all.

"You know, _that_ day — it wasn't you who put me to bed, which you know since you were… there." Rubes giggled, seemingly embarrassed by her own awkwardness. "Uncle Qrow talked to me about how we almost didn't come back…" One of her arms raised to cover her chest right above her heart, almost like she was trying to protect herself from something — and maybe she was, a far-off memory. "That day you were almost gone and I was so scared of losing you at the time." Her voice dropped to a wavering, slow whisper, "Yang, I think… no, I _know_ you're the most important person to me and I don't know what I would do without my big sister here."

Funny hearing her say that, because she herself couldn't picture her life without Ruby in it as well. That's probably why they both always came back to the the same neutral stake over and over again. At least this time was different, she guessed — they were actually, or maybe Ruby was, expressing her feelings on the matter.

Her sister's voice turned resolute now. "So… what I'm trying to say is, from that day forward I realized _how_ I wanted to live the rest of my life. I know you're not that little girl anymore, Yang, but neither am I! You don't need my help, but I'm sure there are countless people out there who do, people who probably lost some kind of Yang to them like I almost did!" Ruby took a second to calm herself down, her breaths coming in rapid succession due to the comotion to get her to understand. "I want to do that as a Huntress, protecting them from the Grimm!"

The hunters, huntsmen and huntresses were a special kind of squadron working under the orders of the general of the Royal Army Force, or, as everyone usually put, R.A.F. Their specialty and sole purpose was eradicating, or at least eliminating the maximum number of Grimm they encountered, ridding the lands of those monsters so the non-combatant citizens could live their life peacefully.

Unfortunately it was also the life led by someone who lived away from their family, always facing the dangers of this world head on. She didn't want her sister to join them for obvious reasons, but if this was _really_ the life Ruby desired to pursue, there wasn't much she could do about it. After all, she wouldn't trade Ruby's happiness for anything, not even her own comfort. She would just have to accept and support her choice, then deal with it.

And how ironic it was, considering Ruby's words. One way or another, she herself _sort of_ was the one to blame for all of that.

"Well… as long as you understand what you're signing up for, in the end, it's up to you, Rubes." She didn't want her sister to feel guilty for choosing to follow her dreams over a life she was never meant to live (a veracity she had to at least admit to herself), so the sensible thing to do here was making sure her sister understood just that. "If that's what you really want, I won't stand in your way." When Ruby covered her elbow almost as an unconscious response to the hand she placed on her shoulder, she complemented, "Don't ever forget, sis': I'm forever, always, by your side."

Ruby's beautiful silver eyes, soft before, now seemed to overflow with affection for her after a one-second blink. The sight made her heart soar and left her breathless under its weight. She shook her head, chuckling. This decision only seemed hard on the outside, because really, once she looked into Ruby's eyes, the undeniable certainty that _everything_ her sister needed _was_ all she'll have for her was again sturdily solidified.

"Thank you, Yang, I do mean it." Ruby said slowly, almost like she could taste her words' sweet flavor. Then she opened and closed her mouth, seemingly deliberating over whether to disclose something more, though a remote commotion outside — quickly followed by a, _Ruby? It's time to go, kiddo_ , in Qrow's timbre — took away her choice's momentum.

Never in her life had she seen a face go from captivated to excited in such a short amount of time.

As if on cue, her own fists pounded together. Winking, she enthusiastically cheered, "Go kick some butt."

Ruby squealed. "Aye!" After a momentary pause for her excitement, which didn't succeed in simmering down, her sister turned around, but not before stating a heartfelt, "I love you, Yang." To which she replied with a soft, _love you too, sis'_ , and then Ruby was gone — leaving her to proudly watch in place as her sister's figure retreated. That's how she stayed for a few moments.

A while after that though, she was done cleaning the mess she had made while working on the stable, as she usually did in dad's absence. So she grabbed a hay bale and dragged it to the barn's gate, positioning it so it would connect to the small wooden building's gate and sit over it.

It didn't take long for the still infant day's strong emotions to catch up.

The thing about _feeling_ as the light dim from your own eyes is that everything you see, everything you hear and _think_ is through a progressively darkening lense, with shadows casting over all your senses. And if you don't do anything about it, because the fact is that you're the only one capable of being the valiant hero of your own story, then you'll find yourself immersed in an endless loop of an endless nightfall.

Yes, she _was_ all too aware of that, but _still_ she couldn't escape the persistent feeling crawling at the forefront of her mind. First it seemed like a strange disquietude in the pit of her stomach, but then became the pitiful rollercoaster of bizarre melancholy it now was.

As she turned the page of her book, the musing started anew; the sound of Bumb grazing the hay now distant in her mind. What could possibly be causing such raucous dreadfulness in her, and more than that — where had all this suddenly come from? And why?

Sure, it's been a day now since dad left, but what was different from all those other times? Was it the rumors she heard around the village? Was it Qrow's increasingly longer disappearances in these past few months? Perhaps the now all too frequent remembrance of her sister's desires to leave someday? Or was it just the strenuous process of moving and starting life from scratch? Because that's what they were about to do.

 _Again_ , was the bittersweet word floating through her mind.

Tired of feeling like this, she — both literally _and_ metaphorically — turned the page. This book was a personal collection she herself had put together (and still is, she guessed; it's a work constantly in progress), filled with poems she had found in other volumes and evaluated as being the dearests to her. It was all in practicality's name: then she wouldn't have to take a glance at all those books their family owned in order to find them again, nor would she have to carry their weight when the desire to have some peace and quiet struck her. Some poems were big, some were small; either way it achieved this self-indulgent pastime's goal in helping her sort through her thoughts every now and then.

In the past, she had often indulged in novels as well, picking up the habit from the time she read Ruby to bed, when both of them were _way_ younger. Though, as time passed, she found herself having little time to give into that old hobby, to enjoy a good, long story — courtesy of her growing list of responsibilities. Instead, now, she just opted to read poems, aside from their textbooks.

She sighed. Her mind just kept coming back to the issue at hand...

It's not like she was a bitter, morose individual. Far from that, actually. Her own father considered her to be, and she precisely quoted, " _one to always burn brighter than everyone else"_ , but, well… What was it again about the faster the flames burn the faster it'll burn out?

Deep inside she knew she was being unreasonable, yet she couldn't help feeling so profoundly… it's not like she could control how she felt or its intensity anyway.

Just as she big time shrugged to herself and came to terms with its usual disconnecting concomitant sentiment, she saw the poem on the next page, which instantly captured her mind's absolute attention.

 _Lost in a world, that scares me to death,_

 _Lost in a crowd, I'm losing my breath._

 _Lost as a boy, lost as a man,_

 _I need to grow up, don't think I can._

 _Lost as a person, can't find my way._

 _Lost in life, every day._

 _Lost in worry, who am I?_

 _All my life, I've lived a lie._

 _Lost to kindness, lost to love,_

 _Lost in a sky, like a new-born dove._

 _Lost in thought, which I shouldn't do,_

 _It winds me up, I can't get through._

 _Lost to comfort, all kind words,_

 _Lost to advice, it isn't heard._

 _Lost to those who really care,_

 _All these people, always there._

 _Lost in me, I need a break,_

 _Lost in wonder, which road to take?_

 _Lost in a place I don't know well,_

 _Where are you now? There's no one to tell._

 _Lost here, all alone,_

 _Lost apart from these morbid bones._

 _Lost still, there are no calls._

 _I'm struggling alone, to break these walls._

 _Lost in mind, lost in soul,_

 _Lost memories, they're just a hole._

 _Lost family, lost mate,_

 _Gone now, yet I'm full of hate._

 _Lost in a great world, and I am stray,_

 _Lost now, for what to say,_

 _Lost in boredom, think I'll leave._

 _There's a lot in life I need to achieve._

How fitting — she scoffed.

Her gaze was still intent on the lines of the book she held, seated on the hay bale she always left by the door for this sole purpose, when she heard the stomping. As soon as the rhythm reached her ears she was immediately sure of the sound being that of a horse's galloping.

"... What?" She was momentarily confused by the commotion.

Then she saw Signal's headed towards her in full speed, neighing and throwing his mane from one side to the other. She jumped to her feet immediately, a sinking feeling filling her stomach with lead; or, at least, that was what it felt like.

Dad's stallion came to a full stop in front of her, raising dust everywhere around them. He didn't wait for the inevitable annoyed reply to his antics she was _surely_ a second away from voicing, desperately nudging her with his nose and then pointing it to the path he had just come from. The wind accelerated, the skies seemed greyer. Agitated now — as it wasn't in character for him to act in such a way —, she tried pulling his head towards her so she could face him, but the horse was being unhelpfully stubborn.

That wouldn't do.

"Hey. Hey, boy, look at me. C'mon, look at me." Signal first blowed, but _finally_ conceded soon after. She looked straight into his eyes, as if silently asking the question she desperately wanted the answer to. Although, to her unsurprising dismay, none came. Then, he lowered his head, the forelegs bending forward in rapid succession; his torso being the last one to bow.

It took a few moments to dawn on her what he meant, and she didn't wait a second before picking her book up from where she had left it on the hay bale and shoving it on the back pocket of her fitted black pants. Hoisting herself on Signal, she motioned for him to turn back around and pick up speed once again.

Soon she found herself on dad's trail, every second immerging herself deep into the forest, the dense woods now surrounding her in an intimidating way. The long branches sometimes grazed her arm and many times she found herself having to dodge its foliages. Signal was already panting loudly, but never gave into his fatigue. No, instead he pressed on until she found herself in front of a fork; she didn't have any time pondering on which path to follow, though she needn't have worried either way — Signal promptly took the one on their right. With the decision making being taken away from her, she was left taking notice of how it seemed much more somber and not… as inviting… as the other one; the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, on edge.

 _Dad… what_ have _you gotten yourself into this time?_

They made their way through the woods, the path blurring in her distressed daze. It couldn't be noon yet, even though there was no way to know for sure since the trees blocked her view of the sky almost completely and she couldn't know how long they had been on dad's track already, though it felt like it had already been for a good while.

Signal came to a full stop, almost launching herself off him (she would've been, weren't she gripping the harness so tightly in her worried frenzy). They were on a very small cleaning, which had a weird distinct design. It was as if the trees purposely bent downwards and tangled their branches together to make a barrel-shaped ceiling.

The ambiance should feel nice, it should have looked beautiful. Instead it felt chilling to the bones, the mist surrounding the area gave a sinister edge to it and the whole place seemed wrecked, abandoned, forgotten in time. She definitely didn't want to be there for longer than she needed to.

Distressed, she greedily took in her surroundings, like they secretly held any form of hints that would lead her to dad.

She found none, unfortunately. Upset, she turned to Signal, disappointed that he misled her into believing he would take her straight to where dad was supposed to be, or… or… She didn't want to think about any other possibilities. Right now her priority was finding out what had happened to him.

"Hey, boy. Why did you bring me here?" When he didn't do anything besides stomping his right foreleg on the ground and blowing, with her patience already running thin, she nearly did the same. But as she was just about to scorn him, a sight caught her eyes. "Huh?" The murmur that left her mouth not even managing to register itself past the fog in her brain, already forgotten when she quickly blinked her eyes, adjusting them to the new finding.

A piece of cloth had been precariously hanging this whole time on a branch in the opposite side of where they were standing. Jogging towards the outstanding item, she grabbed it and meticulously analyzed it. It seemed like a ripped brown leather vest, one that looked _a lot_ like the one dad had been wearing when he left — she would've recognized it in any way, anywhere.

 _Dammit._

Her teeth ground together with no effort at all, as if it needed no command whatsoever, her hand closing around the cloth in a tight fist.

She quickly scanned the place for another evidence, but what she found wasn't capable of troubling her more than it needed to. There were leaves tousled forming a linear path, showing the dangerous roots in their absence. Yes, it was obvious dad had gone in that direction, but now the scenario painted to be one of a man fleeting this place in a desperate hurry.

She couldn't take this conclusion to heart, after all she didn't actually know what had happened there, nor how long ago it was. But as she looked around for more clues, a rare beam of light caught in something, which reflected the rays, shining. It was just a few feet ahead; she got closer to it only to find the metal spaulder she readily assumed to be the one dad always wore on his right arm when leaving for his journeys. The discarded piece stayed there on the ground, mocking her as the gears in her mind gritted, rubbed in one another, producing an appalling sound, and then suddenly stopped. It was almost like, in sympathy, the world decided to pause at the same time.

* * *

 **A/N:**

¹ The original poem is Lost, by Dan Brown, and I 've paraphrased the 22th and 29th verses *only* to properly fit the historical time of the story — I don't mean anything by it.

² Russet: a shade of brown.


	3. Where hopes decay

**A/N:**

 **I recommend listening to Ben Frost (DARK) while reading the chapter**

* * *

"I am the King of Owls.

Where I float no shadow falls.

I have hungers, such terrible hungers, you cannot know.

Lords, I sharpen my talons on your bones."

* * *

She grabbed the spaulder from where it lay on the ground and hurried back to Signal, putting the offending object in the bag hanging from the horse's torso, and mounted him. They turned back to where they came from, ignoring the nagging voice inside her head.

"C'mon, boy." She nudged him with her knee high brown boots' heels. And if her voice wavered, she blame the galloping. "Take us home."

And home they got, with seemingly no time at all compared to the first trip. That, or her mind was so full, reaching the brim and already overflowing with possible scenarios, with worry, helplessness and, worst of all, a chilly and paralyzing fear. What would she do if dad never came home? What would she do if she couldn't find him? What then? How would she be able to take care of Rubes alone and help Qrow at the same time?

If she didn't fear flying off Signal, she would have pinched herself just to check — surely she must be in the worst daymare ever.

The first thing she noticed when they got back on the path to their house was that the sun was high in the sky, not favoring either side. With the sun in its peak, it could only mean one thing: she had been gone for more than a couple hours as she had first thought, and it was already noon-ish. Dammit.

Her sister's unique figure became visible to her as soon as her house came into focus, her worried semblant soon followed as she closed the distance between them, dismounting dad's stallion in one fluid and quick movement. They hugged like it was the first time they had seen each other in ages, which, all things considered, she wasn't going to complain.

(She scoffed mentally — yeah, like she would ever complain about hugging Ruby at all.)

"Yang! Are you okay?! I freaked out when I got here and couldn't find you anywhere." Ruby seemed to take her in fully, which would be quite disconcerting for her sister, she was sure, considering the scratches on her arm where her shirt had gotten torn. "What happened?!"

"I —" Could she tell her? Should she tell her?

No, she had to stop thinking like that. Even though Rubes was always going to be her little sister, and, therefore, her responsibility, she was the same girl who had not long ago voiced her desire to not be left out anymore when it came to their problems. Ruby had vehemently expressed how she didn't want her big sister to " shoulder everything alone anymore, Yang. I can help... I want to!" , and if that's what her little sister truly desired, then she would respect her wishes. She sighed; just when she was about to open her mouth and start, Ruby intercepted her.

"Is that… Signal?! Oh my god , Yang! Where's dad?!"

"I don't know…" She lowered her head, upset. "I was reading in the barn when he showed up. I went looking for him." She looked up through her eyelashes — her sister's big eyes got almost to the size of apples when she understood the meaning behind her words. In the end, it seemed she needed a confirmation to their growing horror.

"Yang… where is he?" She said quietly, like speaking it any louder would cramble their reality just like a mirror would shatter to pieces.

"Rubes…"

"No, we gotta go find him. C'mon." And she stormed off towards the barn. Or at least that's what she would've actually done had Yang not gotten hold of her arm.

"Ruby! Wait, no." Her sister turned around, a disbelieving look withering her face. "No, that's not how we're doing this. You don't even have your scythe! Or don't you remember that day we were —"

"Fiiiiiiiine, but I can just go grab it really fast!"

"Yeah? Weren't you and uncle Qrow working on it after the training?"

"Well… Kind of? He sort of left me and went off to do his thing —" A groan escaped her own throat then. She couldn't believe her uncle. " —, but he did instruct me on what I had to do to fix my beautiful Crescent Rose, though after I did it I got stuck with another engine problem that I couldn't solve on my own and that was when I came looking for you! I figured you could help me with it."

"Oh, so you mean to tell me it isn't even fully working yet? And you expect me to go out there with you in the state we're in? That's just looking for trouble." She shook her head. "No. We're doing it like this — c'me here." She grabbed her sister's hand and led her inside.

"Yang! We don't have time for whatever it is you wanna do. We've gotta go find dad!"

"And we will, but we won't let that search get the best of us. We'll eat something first, try to calm down and think clearly. You're going to take Crescent Rose and everything you need to work on it, then we're closing the house and leaving a note for uncle Qrow. There's someone who I think might be able to help you with it and I'm taking you there. Ok?" Her stare pierced Ruby's.

Her sister sighed, caving in. "You're right. Sorry."

She addressed her sister with the nod the response prompted.

They got right to their chores after that, and since both were in a haze, they ended up opting for eating fruits — plus so they could still do stuff while eating their humble lunch.

It seemed that, in their hurry, pretty much everything was done in less than a few seconds. Leaving behind a note for Qrow, hidden on their family's secret spot, they were just about to depart when she took notice of Ruby's dark grey, generic backpack strapped to her shoulders, which was oddly moving non-stop …

Now, that was suspicious.

(And soon she found out why when Zwei peeked his head out of the bag.)

As Ruby stumbled precariously to where she herself was standing, only waiting there for her, she became acutely aware of how heavy it must be for Ruby to be walking as if it was weighing her down as much as it seemed to be. "Uhh… want me to carry that for you, sis'?"

"It's fine! It isn't as heavy as it looks like, I promise." And while trying to laugh it off, she almost fell when tripping on a stone — in a very Ruby-like way. If it wasn't for her arms wildly trying to balance her out and the arms grabbing the backpack from behind after her little sister had passed her on the way to her mare, maybe she would've fallen all the way down to the ground.

Well, always better be safe than sorry.

"Maybe you should ditch some of your stuff." She said with a grin, taking their cute little corgi out of the backpack and hugging him close to her chest. "Here. He's going on your lap." She tested the weight of the bag one more time, finally deeming it safe for her little sis' to carry. It was still a bit heavier than she would have liked, but Ruby couldn't leave behind the means to fix her scythe if she couldn't hold her own without it, so this would just have to do.

They walked to the barn, where Yang quickly safed Signal inside his stall with a sorry, boy. I'm coming back for you, but there's something I need to do first, ok? And if anything, he seemed to understand her (or at least be in sync with the general flow of energy around him, because he backed away and anxiously looked at her from where he stood inside the cubicle. His tail waggled slightly faster, his neck standing at full height as if bracing himself for later.

Rubes had already released their horses from their stalls and gotten them ready to ride by the time she was done with dad's. She mounted Bumb, petting her affectionately and motioning for her to leave the barn. Strawberry was right on their heels, slowly trotting outside when encouraged by where she pulled on the harness from her own horse.

Then her sister closed the building's wooden door and mounted her white stallion as well. Ruby nodded to her.

"Let's go."

With no other words needed from Rubes, off they went.

There was a lake behind their house, a few feet away from the cabin, which they rode all the way past it. They rode through the village and the weird looks sent their way because of the commotion they created in their rush. They rode through the grassy fields and woodland — only ever stopping to drink water from the limpid rivers nearby — to the most vast, orange fields she sees every time she takes this path; several maple trees along the way adorning the landscape. They rode on their horses' back until they could no more. And then they were riding past the peachy sunset.

So, when they finally arrived at their destination, it was safe to say all five of them were dead weight.

There was a mildly big chateau in their sight now, surrounded by a lovely garden dad would undoubtedly envy, and regal oaks, which by now she already could picture behind her eyelids. In front of her stood a welcomely wooden gate, warmly inviting the newcomers to the owner's large piece of land — the grand noble family's name proudly displayed on top, beside its emblem. She ignored it just as she always did. She never cared much about the money, nobility or living a grandeur life. All she truly cared about was her family, her friends and the thrill life had to give.

Without even batting an eye, she pounded on the gate and immediately rode past it when it marginally opened to take in the guests, Ruby hot on her heels.

"Hey! You can't do that!" A trumpet sounded. "Guards!"

She got off Bumblebee as soon as she arrived on the small castle's few steps, which led to the grand oak door facing them. There was a momentary pause in which she petted Bumb's nose as a way to reward her girl for her much-more-than-just-appreciated effort, a kiss there, and then she was knocking wildly on the huge door squeezed between the chateau's stone walls.

What she didn't expect, however, was the spear flying in her direction when the door flew open and a ringing left in her ear caused by the wind being cut — just narrowly avoiding the intended target. Then, if not for her agile reflexes, she would've been hit again . She blocked the approaching blow with her left arm, then throwed the right hand upon the leg now trapped in her grip and pushed it with an increased amount of force. Next second found her jab being caught in someone's hand before it could hit its mark, which was the redhead's face.

Wait.

What?

"Interesting. You barge into my house and then proceed to hit me." The young woman in front of her curiously said, her emerald gaze glinting with mirth. "And here I was, thinking we were actually friends." The grip on her hand got tighter before lessening in strength until it was free from its previous powerful hold.

She jumped right into her arms, briefly hugging her, which, in turn, seemed to shock the other woman (but only for a second, as she readily repaid the courtesy). When they disentangled, she received a confused, worried look that she was quick to address, but not before Ruby had her turn in tackling their mutual friend in a hug, too.

"By the way, I'm sorry about all that." The other woman rubbed her neck. "I was passing by and when I heard all the commotion instinct kicked in."

Ruby was faster in answering her, though.

"Pyrrha! You'll never believe what's happened!" Then Zwei added his piece next, two successive loud barks hurting their ears, thanks to the echo the hall produced.

When their friend's gaze fell upon her once more, she sighed. "Can we talk? I mean… privately?" She requested with a hand shooting to the back of her head. However, she wasn't allowed an answer as the door was pushed open again, banging on the wall, which brought forth a loud sound that echoed through the hall.

"You two, stop right there!" The guards arrived then — swords, staffs and spears all proudly on view. She scoffed.

"Oh, it's alright, Russet, stand down." When none of them moved a muscle, she added (a little more forcefully this time), "St and down, please ." Pyrrha didn't offer anything else, neither did she would (or need to) do so. They hesitantly sheathed their weapons and backed off, though the young man — Russet, probably the one in charge of the small team — still seemed suspicious. He only took his eyes away from them when he turned around and left the hall, closing the door with him.

"What's with that guy?" Ruby rolled her eyes and turned to Pyrrha again. Her sister just read her mind.

"I'm sure it's just the stress that comes with being in a new position. Don't worry."

"Believe me, I'm not ." Her pride just a tiny little bit wounded by the way off-base comment, causing her to indignantly huff.

"Always the confident one, I see." Pyrrha's soft expression went from a small, pleased grin to a teasing smirk. "You never change, do you, Yang?"

So she mirrored the pleasantry. "Yeah, like you'd want me to."

A gurgling sound caught both their attention. "You guys are ruining my vision! I mean, my ears."

Then, suddenly, all trace of playfulness was gone from Pyr's face.

"Well, let's go to my room. We can talk there."

"Wait." She turned to her sister. "Actually, can you go dump your stuff there? We'll be right behind you." Ruby narrowed her eyes, as though ascertaining the truth in her words. Whatever it was she found, she still acquiesced in the end, muttering a sluggish okay and turning to leave. Both of them were already well acquainted with Pyrrha's house as if it was their own; after all, they were friends since they were little brats.

As soon as Ruby left their sights and Zwei's bark started fading on the background, she turned to Pyrr once more and began:

"Ok, here is the thing — our dad's gone missing and I've gotta go looking for him. I can't take Ruby, could she stay here?" She listed off as quickly as she could, straight to the point. Then she arduously swallowed a knot weighing strangely in her throat. With a sensation close to tasting something sour, she added, "Please?"

Tick, tock, goes the clock. After the initial pause, her friend seemed to regain her ability to speak.

"S-sure! You know if you ever need help, all you need to do is ask." Pyrrha's dumbstruck face prompted her to raise an eyebrow. When it wasn't enough to convey her suspicion, she elaborated better an inquiry to Pyrr's strange behaviour.

"What?" Nailed it.

"Yang, knowing you, it's kind of a big thing this whole you asking me a favor. I'm sorry, it's just kind of perplexing."

" Really ? That's what you're gonna go with?" Pyrrha might be her best friend aside from her sister, but the urge to knock some sense into her was even stronger than Ruby's to eat cookie doughs when she spotted any. Is that really all she got from the conversation they just had? Unbelievable!

Pyrrha crossed her arms — her typical defensive stance (by now she already knew almost all of her tells). Then she tried countering (tried being the keyword) with a, "Well, I assure you, you'd be the same if you had seen your face."

She put one hand on her hips and pointed the other to Pyrr. "Well… since you mentioned my being shocked, by the way, I actuallywould be if you'd just ask Jau —" but her teasing was cut short — right when it got juicy, for her own dismay — by her sister's sudden arrival.

"Yaaaaaaaang! I'm back, what did I miss?" Though no Zwei this time around.

"Y'know, Rubes, you really ought to let me finish what I've got to say one of these days."

Ruby giggled. "Sorry!" Then her little sis' eyes jumped from one to the other. "So?"

" Right ." With the same posture she had with Pyrrha just moments before, she pointed to herself and said. "I'm leaving." Then her finger turned to Ruby. "You're staying. If I don't come back in a few days, go get uncle Qrow to come and help. Got it?"

Rubes' eyes got even bigger than normal. "What? No!" She felt guilty for making them moist, but, sadly, it had to be done. She wouldn't, couldn't, go around endangering her sister's life for nothing. And besides, she was more than enough for this little unexpected quest she was about to go on. "I'm coming with you, you can't do this to me!" Ruby continued, her tone getting a little louder, a little more desperate.

"Ruby, stop. We both know you aren't cut out for hand to hand combat, you said so yourself. You can't help me without your scythe." She impeccably delivered the logical facts that were, first and foremost, the reasoning behind her decision. "Stay here, fix it. If I still haven't come back by then, you see with uncle Qrow what he thinks about you going with him."

"But, Yang!" Her sister indignantly tried leveling with her once again.

With a sympathetic expression, she said, "No buts. You know this is how it needs to be done, Rubes…" Her heart broke in tiny million pieces thinking about what her sister might be feeling right now — what with losing and letting go of both people that's always been responsible for her, all in the same day. Still, she softly, quietly pleaded, "Please, don't make this harder than it's got to be." She ran a hand through her hair, sighing, now openly dispirited.

"Yang, let me help you." Pyrrha's gentle voice echoed in her ear.

She actually considered it for a few seconds, but she couldn't leave Ruby behind — not now, not ever —, especially with people she didn't trust. And Pyrr was the only one left.

Shaking her head, she reformulated, "Can you take good care of her while I'm gone?"

"Sure I can." Her emerald eyes shone hard with newfound determination and forging oaths. "Then I promise you this, Yang." But soon she deflated a bit. "I just wish there was more I could do to help you."

She looked at them, eyes ablaze with both extremities of a linear line — gratitude and apology. "You're already doing the most important part. Thank you ." Well, if she was being honest, words would never be able to describe how much she was thankful for Pyrrha's help, for having a friend like her.

Next time her eyes blinked she was being tackled to the ground, the two women of her life hugging her senseless (which she instantly retributed).

A few moments later, though, they still hadn't let go.

"Guys?" She tried. The the melody created by the cricket's chirping was her only answer. When nothing else happened, she attempt once more. "Guys, it's fine."

Great, they weren't stopping and now she was going to die from suffocation in a very young age. Just great. She sighed. "Yay... teamwork, camaraderie, good guys, go team, alright, good job…"

"Oh, hush you." Was Pyrr's amused reply.

"Yeah, just accept our love, Yang!" Ruby cheerfully picked up from where Pyrrha had left off. Then her voice gained melancholic undertones. "You're leaving and I…"

"It's okay. I've always got your back, sis'. I'm not stopping now."

Then they got to their feet. She turned to Ruby, "Don't worry. I'll be back in no time at all!"

"I'll hold it to you." Her sister hugged her again.

"You'd better, Rubes." When Ruby deemed enough and let go, Pyrrha clasped her hands on her shoulder.

"Be careful." And then briefly hugged her again. She whispered in her hair, "And you'd better do come back. It wouldn't be the same without our little firecracker here." She groaned. Uncle Qrow was definitely the one to blame for this ever ongoing joke. She would get him someday for this, oh how she would. "Or else…", geez. Pyrrha sure knew how to make an impression when she needed to. She didn't even want to think about whatever it was she had in stock for her. And Pyrrha only let go when she felt her stiffly nodding.

"Grand! Besides, Ruby's like the little sister I never had, so don't worry. I'll always take perfect care of her, too." Her heart warmed with her friend's words. Though assuaged by her reassurance, she narrowed her eyes.

After following Ruby's moves with her eyes as her sister released Pyrrha from the hug with a aaaaawwwwnnnn, and you're like the bigger sister I already have! , she asked suspiciously:

"So what does that make me?"

"Isn't it obvious? You're just a fiend I can't slay."

She gasped. "That's it!"

The two of them rolled on the ground, feigning a real fight like they always did.

But after awhile, they had already gotten a cloth with fruits and water for her to carry in the bag hung on Bumb's torso, then she bid the official goodbye to her sister and to her best friend and left.

While Strawberry got to graze the grass on the Nikos' family house, Bumb wasn't so fortunate. They had to stop more along the way, and when she finally made the whole journey back to their house, both her and her mare were way above exhausted. It was a whole new level of tiredness she had never actually experienced before. Her muscles hurt for riding all day long, her stomach starved for more substantial food and her mouth desperately desired water, which they had ran out of a long time ago, conveniently after departing from the last river before getting to her house's vicinity.

Still, she only went to refresh and prepare for another journey while she left Bumb to her own sustenance — after all, there was enough pasture there for her. Then, when she deemed it enough time to recover, she freed Signal from his stall and prepared him; she was adamantly sure the only way they were coming back was with dad in tow. So she mounted Bumblebee and let Signal lead the way once more.

This time around though, a couple of hours later, when she got to the secluded cleaning to which the path on the right led she didn't wait a second before jumping to where she had last seen her dad's spaulder on the ground. She quickly got to the opposite side of where they entered the cleaning, a gap in the grove granting them free passage.

Deep in this track, however, she found herself following her dad's stallion, but not into what she would have liked. Not even a little bit.

She was expecting more of the same kind of wildlife, yet what faced her instead was a completely different painting: the woods were darker somehow; that's the only way she could describe. The trees' leaves weren't as greenish; the branches weren't as tough, many seemingly cracked all throughout the path; the soil wasn't as fertile and the living beings that should've been there just… didn't seem to be. Upon the ground, the mist sprawled everywhere.

Tightening her hold on the harness surrounding Bumb's long neck and inclining a bit more, she escalated their pace. She didn't like this somber atmosphere at all.

But then again, who would?

And not only she absolutely disliked all this bleakness, she had also sported a few more scratches on her torso in addition to the ones from when she came to search for dad before, and she wasn't the only — Bumb had a few on her legs, too, and she imagined Signal's could only be the same.

So when they finally freed themselves of that wild mess, her jaw was left hung open. Somehow she found herself facing a terrifying, though still magnificent nonetheless, huge castle (emphasis on huge ). It was still many feet away, where a strong wall with a gate at the very center stood.

Signal ran towards the ominous place and only then did she blink off her stupor, soon following him close behind — soaking under the falling rain. There, he reared and neighed, his front legs hitting the wooden gate, which, surprisingly, opened with minimum resistance. She got down from Bumb and all three of them walked through the gates.

Behind the wall, there was still space they needed to cover until they got to an area filled with aligned cottages, surrounding the castle. The town appeared to have grown strategically over the years, offering a semblance of care on the part of the one in charge of this place, which didn't go unnoticed by her. As they walked, the biting wind seemed to howl as it furiously hustled her hair.

Then came the streets. Sometimes she caught a glimpse of few toys scattered on streets, left undisturbed by the years, except for the dust covering each of them — the sight left a chilling feeling running through her spine. And it only got worse the closer she got to the castle — first off, the more it rained soot. Secondly, not only that, but the more common became spotting statues along the way too. They were a horrid thing, all of them a demonic depiction of a decaying figure.

This place was totally creeping her out.

"Hey, Sign. You sure this is where dad ran off to? A hundred percent positive?" Signal just looked at her like she was insane for thinking he would be here otherwise. "Ok, ok. I get it, geez."

They wandered through the streets together until they reached a metal gate with intricate, fancy patterns, the overall picture truly an artist's work. Upon touching it, she found that the gate, too, easily opened. Pushing it open, however, caused the loud, dragging sound of the metal scraping against the pavement to resonate through the night.

She had entered a garden.

It was exceptionally unkept, dried leaves scattered all around and dried branches sticking from everywhere. A bunch of wilted flowers — except one kind, the white roses — were on display. And even then she saw how several of them were torn up, their petals joining the dried leaves on the ground. She drew near to the rose bush and grazed the one closest to her height.

The moon, now high in the sky, shone a light that seemed to dance in delight next to the snowy, frigid petals, and just when she relaxed enough to appreciate this tender moment, the wind picked up.

From afar she heard the cawing of crows, yet she could swear she had also caught some noise somewhere behind her and it definitely wasn't her heartbeat, which had spiked up. A crippling fear took hold of her, yet she forced herself to look around for any signs of danger, even though she didn't leave the spot. This time, it was the impression of being observed raising the hairs on her neck.

Yup. She totally hadn't seen a passing shadow on the corner of her eye. Yups, she didn't.

She took in a deep breath and turned to the disconcerted horses. "What now?"

Signal lowered his head and pointed vaguely to the castle's door.

Oh boy.

Well, better take care of that already, isn't it?

A heartfelt see you later was exchanged between the horses and her, and, seeing no need to fasten their harness in order for them to stay put, she climbed the stairs leading to a great mahogany door.

The knob didn't turn without some budging, the noise amplified by the otherwise soundless night. And as soon as the door opened, she hurried inside and shut it hard.

No surprises here. The entrance hall was an enormous thing, with high ceiling and zero souls, just as she expected it to be. Albeit she didn't feel the chilly bite of the nightwinds, inside the castle it was as if the temperature had suddenly dropped, her chattering teeth making an uncompassed rhythm louder than it needed to be because of the echoed noise.

She hugged her own arms, trying to keep her body heat, though it was to no avail. She walked across the hall, searching everywhere with her eyes as if the clues leading to her father were hidden somewhere she just couldn't quite see.

But then something caught her attention. A sound, not quite a roar, not quite a scream, reverberated through the walls. It was indistinctly human, and maybe that was dad, maybe it wasn't. Either way she was going to find out.

She followed the noise through the dark and empty hall, reaching the end. Below the grand staircase at the center, there was a round wooden door — entirely scratched and with tiny bits sticking from it.

Instead of going inside, she knocked hard on the door with its handle. The sound, much like every other before, echoed. And, surely, after waiting a few seconds, she was able to hear muffled questions and pleadings of who's there? and please, let me go!

This time around she needn't wait a breath before opening the door ajar and hurrying inside. She ran down the stairs, sometimes jumping a few at a time, bumping on the moist and mossy wall. The dark was infinite and, though she could light up to see at least a few steps ahead, that was the furthest thing from her mind.

At the end of the staircase there was the dim shine of a few torches' flame. Though she knew now she had reached the end, she was still unable to decrease her momentum and crashed onto the ground with full speed, having lost her balance. She quickly got up, wiping on her pants the new scratches on her hands.

"Great. Just great", was the annoyed mumble that unconsciously left her mouth.

She desperately started looking cell per cell until she finally found, at the end of the chamber, what she was looking for.

"... Dad?" she whispered, marvelling the sight of him.

Holding on the bars separating them, she tested their sturdiness. She could pinpoint the exact moment dad finally focused his gaze on her and really, really seemed to accept that his daughter was actually there. "Dad! Dad, listen, I'm taking you out of here! Signal and Bumb are waiting for us outside."

"Yang! What are you doing here? Go away now while you still can!" When she didn't even twitch an eye, he added, now much more desperate, "Go! Now!"

"Huh… Dad, what? I just spent the entire day looking for you, I'm not leaving this place without you!"

"No, you don't understand —"

"Then explain it to me! What happened ?!"

His face seemed to darken with shadows that were cast over his face when the nearest torch seemed to burn low. Suddenly, he jumped at the bars, making her take a step back. She would have put a lot more space between them had dad not closed his firm hands around her grip.

She wasn't understanding anything. Why was dad acting in such a strange way? This wasn't right, what was happening here?

His behavior left her heart beating wildly in her chest, and it certainly didn't help the current flow of adrenaline through her veins when he despairingly looked from one side to the other.

"Dad?!"

He shushed her. Did he just shush her? Even in the midst of this whole bizarre thing, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him, though the expression on his face was quick to shut her up. He seemed terrified .

"Silent!" When no one seemed to appear or whatever, the words left his mouth in an almost incoherent mess. "I spent the first night with... travelers, it'd be dangerous otherwise. They partied — or, at least, cover enough — the Grimm... I may have drank a little too much, though I don't think that's what happened." He ran his fingers through his soul patch. "Next thing I know… waking up in a deserted camp — gone… nothing. I tried going back home, but — feeling I was being followed. I must have gotten the wrong way. Then... this place. I was exhausted, famished, it looked deserted… Why not take a look? Maybe I could find something worth selling around, right?"

"Dad!"

"— no one's making use of anything!" He stopped, but only for a minute before he kept going, "Caught sight of the rose bush… I —" He dry-swallowed. "Summer…" His face took a far-away look and she had to call him for him to come back to the moment. "Just wanted to get one for Ruby… But — tried to leave… and… couldn't! Signal was making so much noise and then…" He abruptly stopped in the middle of the sentence, a horrified look taking residence in dad's face.

Now she could hear calm footfalls on the ground, the sound just like that of half notes on blood drums, not matching her wild heartbeat at all . The pace of her own heart sped up even more, as did the intensity of the footfalls' noise, as whatever it was that was making such sound got closer.

"Quick, hide! C'mon, now! It's coming, Yang. Go away. Go away!"

"Dad? What 's coming?"

"It's coming, it's coming, it's coming…", as of now she was scared for life — even more so with dad looking more and more by the second like he had retreated into a debil state of mind.

"Dad, oh my god , what is it? You're scaring me!"

He seemed to be looking through her — or, perhaps… at something behind her. She gulped.

And when she turned around, her heart almost leapt through her mouth.

In front of her was a bestial thing.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **¹ The verses are from the poem "The King of Owls" by Louise Erdrich.**


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